ANGEL

[Scooby Doo]

Toxic fear gas.

The stuff lived up to its name. Velma had been put in a comatose state after the Phantom Scarecrow had sprayed it at her without her even realizing, and thus she tumbled into a strange sort of limbo.

Strange because...she didn't know what was real. She must have been dreaming, and yet it seemed tangible?

The gang waited uneasily at the hospital for her to wake, hoping for some good news, but it seemed nobody could wake her up. The doctors were just as puzzled about it, which hardly boded well.

Would she even wake up at all? What if she was stuck like that?

They were all so worried, but it seemed that all they could do was try to capture the Scarecrow, avoid getting exposed to the gas themselves, and get some answers...

…

Velma was stuck in her hotel room, and she could already tell that some things were off. For example...why was she here? She had no means of contacting anyone either, and nothing would work, not even the phone.

To make matters worse? Ben Ravencroft was trying to get in.

"Let me in Velma!"

"No! Go away!"

He kept trying, banging and banging on the lock, until she lost her temper, slammed the dead phone down and glared at the door.

"You may think you're big and strong, but the only thing 'big' about you is how much of a JERK you are! Stop trying to come in here!"

Yet he only laughed wickedly when she said that, before dropping to an ominous tone:

"Choose your words carefully Velma..."

Silence.

After that...he seemed to leave. That was what she thought anyway, and so she continued trying to contact somebody, anybody.

Luck wasn't on her side though. The power soon went out.

Alarm filled her then. Velma had no choice but to venture out into the darkened corridor and try to find some way of helping herself, or at least a torch. Yet she could sense shadows, and hear footsteps. Was it Ben? Or something else?

She realized quickly that there was some sort of monster roaming about here too, so tried hiding in the bathroom at first, but eventually had to turn heel and leg it through the empty, odd hotel she had found herself in. As she looked back at the beast and sped up her pace, she realized it was Ben.

Even more reason for her to try and get away as fast as possible. He had betrayed them all...

Velma stumbled outside and quickly looked around for her friends, but only found the Mystery Machine.

"At least it's something!" she reassured herself, panting as she rushed for the vehicle and practically threw herself for the door. Given the luck of it actually being there, she had foolishly expected the door to be open too.

Not so, sadly. Even when she pulled the handle so hard, it wouldn't budge.

"No, this can't be happening!"

"AHH!"

She screamed as she was suddenly snatched up, and of course, it was Ben.

"No! NO, let GO!"

Though she begged and struggled, he easily carried her away from the Machine and towards a dark, black and swirling portal that had appeared. She knew once she was pulled in there she wouldn't be getting out, and she tried harder to escape.

He only kept holding her closer and tighter, making sure she wouldn't be able to free herself from his hands.

As it turned out though, an angel was looking out for her. Though the Evil Ben had her in his clutches, the Good Ben, the one she knew from their first meeting at the museum, came rushing towards them both, shoving his doppelganger back and taking Velma from him in the process. He stumbled back with her while his dark counterpart fell through the portal and vanished entirely from sight.

Velma blinked, and looked up at the boy who had saved her. At first she was totally startled and wide-eyed, but as he set her down and stepped back a bit, she finally realized it was Ben...again?

This version of him though...he seemed to be different.

"...Ben?" she questioned, before her eyes suddenly flashed with anger and fear. "Wh-what is the meaning of this!? I-I don't understand!"

"That wasn't me, Velma! Not the real me! That's someone who you can't trust, but I-" he seemed honest about it, "I'm not like that. And I'm sorry. Please...forgive me for what I did before."

Velma was in two minds at first, but his pained expression softened her. He had saved her too, she supposed.

"Well...alright. I forgive you."

His eyes widened with hope then, and he broke out in a smile as his black wings turned white.

"...Thank you."

…

"Ah!"

Velma awoke with a sharp jolt. Finally, she was out of that stasis. She wasn't in a hotel either, she seemed to be in the sterile environment of a hospital.

As she sat up, her friends swarmed her. They had been waiting there all along, hoping she would come to again. It made her happy to be hugging them all again, and she smiled around at all of them when they pulled back.

"I'm okay now. So...let's deal with this Scarecrow business, shall we?" she fixed her glasses straight on her head. "Assuming you haven't already, of course."

"Not yet, but now that you're awake again we might stand a chance." Daphne insisted, and Velma's spirits lifted a little.

Seems that mystery was still waiting for her too. When she left the hospital they all piled into the Mystery Machine together. Shaggy and Scooby joked around to cheer her up all the more, and their laughter echoed long after they drove away, prepared to find out the truth yet again.

Perhaps, the shadow of somebody's wings was being cast upon them as they left. Somebody watching.

After all of it...he'd found redemption.